Maximize your holiday recycling

During the holidays, the average American family throws away up to 10 additional bags of trash.

In towns that require you to pay for your trash bags, those holiday extras would cost $15 to $30, depending on the town. A large portion of this trash is generated from wrapping paper, boxes, tissue, packing materials and shopping bags.

The Springfield Materials Recycling Facility, which accepts recyclables from 75 communities in western Massachusetts including many Franklin County towns, asks residents to keep the following recycling guidelines in mind:

Wrapping paper and tissue paper are recyclable, but only if they do not contain foil, metallic inks or glitter. Tape is OK. Paper shopping bags and gift bags are also recyclable, and any type of handle is OK to include.

Holiday lights are NOT recyclable in your town’s municipal recycling because they can get wrapped around the sorting equipment at the recycling facility and cannot be processed there. Holiday light strings ARE accepted for scrap metal recycling at wTe’s Non Ferrous Division at 28 Montague City Road, Greenfield. At wTe they will pay 40 cents per pound for holiday light strings. For more information, call 413-772-2438 or write to info@franklincountywastedistrict.org